Pep Guardiola admits he has been impressed ‘increasingly more’ by Chelsea of their bid to maintain up with Arsenal at the highest of the Premier League.
Manchester City at the moment are two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after their nervy 5-4 victory over Fulham on Tuesday evening.
Guardiola’s side were 5-1 ahead by the 54th minute but conceded three goals within the space of 21 minutes to establish a tense finish at Craven Cottage.
Arsenal have the possibility to revive their five-point lead at the highest of the table in the event that they beat Brentford on the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will move back to a degree behind City in the event that they win away to Leeds United on Wednesday evening.
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Enzo Maresca’s side earned some extent from their 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and delivered a formidable performance with 10 men after Moises Caicedo was sent off in the primary half.
Guardiola maintains that overhauling Arsenal this season will likely be ‘difficult’ and believes Chelsea are also credible title challengers.
‘Arsenal are so strong and so solid,’ Guardiola said after City’s win against Fulham.
‘So I do know what we now have to do, I do know if we drop points it would be so difficult, we now have to place in our mindset that it would be difficult but at the identical time the Premier League is so long.
‘I promise you I’m the oldest manager within the Premier League and have enough experience to make an extended, long term to attempt to fight to win the Premier League. It’s so long.
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‘Chelsea impress me increasingly more daily with Enzo [Maresca], but it surely’s long.
‘Premier League is so long, many things will occur. We won six Premier Leagues, 4 or five once we were December, January or February we were behind.
‘The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows through the months and that is what we attempt to do. No injuries, it’s so long.
‘But at the identical time, if we push, we will likely be higher and push ourselves and control the situations higher, the emotions and we are going to see what happens.’
Ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Leeds, Maresca explained why he’s reluctant to contemplate his side as Premier League title challengers.
‘We’re in December, if in February or March we’re where we at the moment are, we’re going to be title contenders. But when in February or March we usually are not there… so for me it’s too early,’ Maresca said.
‘From [Leeds] on, we now have eight games just in December. In January we now have eight games. So that they are the 2 months which might be more complicated.
‘If we’re capable of survive and be there in February or March, obviously we’re going to be there. But now, I don’t know where we’re going to be in February.’
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